Meaning of orbit in English

Table of contents

Verb
orbit
Definitions
1. move in an orbit
Examples
- « The moon orbits around the Earth »
- « The planets are orbiting the sun »
- « electrons orbit the nucleus »
Derived terms
Noun
orbit
Etymology
mid 16th century (in orbit (sense 3 of the noun)): from Latin orbita‘course, track’ (in medieval Latin ‘eye socket’), feminine of orbitus‘circular’, from orbis‘ring’
Definitions
1. the (usually elliptical) path described by one celestial body in its revolution about another
Examples
- « he plotted the orbit of the moon »
Derived terms
- revolve
2. a particular environment or walk of life
Examples
- « his social sphere is limited »
- « it was a closed area of employment »
- « he's out of my orbit »
3. an area in which something acts or operates or has power or control: "the range of a supersonic jet"
Examples
- « the ambit of municipal legislation »
- « within the compass of this article »
- « within the scope of an investigation »
- « outside the reach of the law »
- « in t »
Derived terms
4. the path of an electron around the nucleus of an atom
Derived terms
- revolve
5. the bony cavity in the skull containing the eyeball

Famous quotes

« A life can get knocked into a new orbit by a car crash, a lottery win or just a bleary-eyed consultant giving bad news in a calm voice. »
David Mitchell
« Then if your movie clicks with real audiences, you'll be sucked into some sort of Hollywood orbit. It's a devil of a place where the only religion that really counts is box office. »
Yahoo Serious